Ask a Master Gardener: Tips for Easier Winter Gardening in Mobile

By: Theresa Davidson, Mobile County Master Gardener | MobileCountyMasterGardeners.org

After a freeze reveal-tropical plants survived

We’ve gardened all summer long in our heat and humidity and can now look forward to cooler temperatures in the fall. However, soon after those cooler temps arrive, a new dread sneaks in: How will I protect my plants during the coming freezes?

As the first freeze approaches, I walk my garden, noting which plants I must bring inside. My living, dining, and laundry rooms become a greenhouse, and it’s a major job. Everything goes in for a night or two, then out again as temperatures warm. As I’ve gotten older, I am looking for a less tedious way to carry over my plants to spring.

During these inventory walks, I noticed, with a sigh of relief, “Oh, this plant doesn’t have to come in, nor that one, nor this one!” What do these plants have in common? They are all cold hardy in our climate! Some are evergreens, others are root hardy, or perennial. Now, when I choose new garden plants, I consider their cold hardiness as well as their light requirements and mature height (“Right plant/right place,” our Master Gardener mantra).

Consider these low maintenance evergreens for your cool season garden: Hardy Bamboo Palm, Tongue Fern, and Farfugium. Aspidistra, the old faithful Cast Iron Plant, comes in a variety of greens and creams, brightening shady areas. I continue to discover additional varieties, such as Milky Way, Spek-tacular, Variegated, Tokyo Skies, and Ghost Spots. You’ll likely become a collector, too

Hardy Bamboo Palm, Chama dorea microspadix, provides a tropical feel to the garden year-round with its bamboo-like canes and feather-like fronds. Tongue Fern, Pyrrosia lingua, thrives in hanging baskets and containers and works well as a ground cover. The fronds are upright with a felt-like texture. Farfugium japonicum gigantea has gained popularity in recent years because of its resemblance to a tractor seat, thus its common name, Tractor Seat Plant. It’s a fast multiplier; move it to other parts of your garden or share it with a friend. As a bonus, it produces daisy-like flowers in the fall. Don’t miss other varieties of Farfugium: Crispatum, leopard plant, and Curly Leaf. Like Aspidistra, you’ll want to collect a few of these.

One of my favorite root-hardy plants is ginger, featured recently in this column. You’ll enjoy its lush leaves and tropical blooms, from spring until the first frost. Then, the leaves will “go down” for the winter. Come spring, beautiful green leaf tips pop through the soil. Though there are thousands of species of ginger, our most common kinds are Alpinias, Costus, Curcuma, Hedychiums, Kaempferias, and Zingibers. Varieties range from ground covers, Kaempferias (Peacock Ginger), to the tall and striking Curcuma, Giant Plume Hidden Ginger.

Also remember the many edible varieties, like Zingiber officinale, common ginger from the grocery store, and Curcuma longa: turmeric. Ginger foliage features many shades of green, cream, and yellow. Their blooms boast so many colors and unusual forms. Most gingers do well in partial sun, but there are varieties for full sun to full shade. Check the label. All are low maintenance, too. And, yes, you’ll collect!

Finally, for those plants that you can’t bring inside due to limited space or the plant’s size, like my Monstera deliciosa, cover them, but follow a few guidelines. Cover the plant entirely to tent it, and then secure the covering to the ground. The covering could be a special “frost” cloth purchased from a store or just old sheets and blankets from your closet. The key factor is tenting, which captures the heat emanating from the ground, raising the temperature under the tent. (Don’t use plastic because its touch can “burn” the plant.)

At the time, I was a bit skeptical, but I started testing this process four years ago as my plant collections grew. It worked surprisingly well for three winters in a row (even during our historic 2025 snow event) and the first two freezes of 2026. When the Monstera, ferns, and other tropical plants were uncovered, they were still green and fresh. I was thrilled. However, the results were quite different after the next freeze:  The Monstera lost several leaves and the ferns were scorched. What was different between the last freeze and the others? We didn’t have just one or two nights, but rather three consecutive freezing nights. The prolonged cold damaged the plants, but over the the summer, all the plants recovered. Even the Monstera produced new leaves!

For easier winter gardening, take inventory of the plants you want to care for. Protect what you must inside, choose more evergreens and perennials to grow outside, and properly cover your plants according to their fall and winter needs. Happy Gardening!

Tongue Fern in hanging basket with coco liner

Hardy Bamboo Palm

Alpinia zerumbet, Variegated Shell Ginger

Aspidistra-Cast Iron Plant, Spek-tacular, Variegated, and Milky Way in a container